#246 : 5 Nutrition Tips For Better Sleep
Saturday, May 2, 2015 @ 7:39 PM
Can't seem to fall asleep at night? Maybe it's because of what you're eating for dinner. Follow these 5 tips for a better night's rest
March is World Sleep Month, which means research institutes around the globe are releasing reports on the importance of shut-eye, as well as tips on how to get enough. In France, after observing the link between eating habits and sleep hygiene in a recent study, the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (INVS) and the health insurer MGEN share suggestions on how to eat to improve the chances of getting a good night's rest.
Image: Dusan Zidar/shutterstock.com
Never skip dinner: "If the body has not consumed enough energy, sleep will be fragmented. One must eat enough to make it through until morning," explains INSV president Damien Léger. The evening meal should be hearty yet balanced and easy to digest.
Have meat for lunch, slow carbohydrates for dinner: Foods that are rich in protein, such as meat, tend to heighten vigilance, so those who have trouble falling asleep may wish to avoid them later in the day. For dinner, focus instead on slow carbohydrates -- such as potatoes, whole wheat pasta or brown rice -- and dairy products, both of which are known to promote sleep. It is also important to have dinner two to three hours before turning in for the night.
Make herbal tea a bedtime ritual: Certain plants are known for their calming effects, and teas brewed from linden, chamomile, passion flower, hops and valerian are among those that can help ease the body into sleep. An evening cup of herbal tea is particularly effective when part of a relaxing routine performed each night in a calm, sleep-friendly environment.
Limit caffeine in the afternoon: Most insomniacs know to avoid coffee and caffeinated sodas in the afternoon, but it is important to remember that cocoa and tea are also to be consumed in moderation. Caffeine takes several hours to be eliminated from the body: half of the amount consumed is still present in the blood stream four to five hours after the last sip. For this reason, it is recommended to avoid these substances after 3pm.
Avoid the temptation of a nightcap: "Alcohol impacts sleep in two phases, facilitating it before interfering with it later on," says Joëlle Adrien of the INSV. While it may help lull an individual to sleep shortly after consumption, it can cause problems a few hours later, leading to lighter sleep and more frequent waking through the night, or even nightmares and sleep apnea.
Labels: health, reads, sleep
#245 : Having Insomnia? Try this 4 ways out!
Friday, May 1, 2015 @ 10:42 AM
Can't sleep? Instead of tossing and turning or counting sheep, here’s what to do
1. Get out of bed
When you know you won’t fall asleep soon, get up, says Dr Kenny Pang, ear, nose and throat surgeon and sleep specialist at Asia Sleep Centre. And don’t set a sleep “time limit” for yourself as you can stress yourself unnecessarily.
2. Have a routine before bedtime
According to Dr Lawrence Epstein, chief medical offi cer of the US’s Sleep Healthcenters network and instructor in medicine at Harvard University in the US, our body craves routine and likes to know what’s coming. “By creating a pre-sleep ritual, you’re establishing a clear association between certain activities and sleep,” he says. Dr Pang recommends relaxing activities like reading a book, meditating, stretching and taking a warm bath.
3.Go back to bed only when you feel sleepy
Don’t head back just because you are bored of reading or meditating. And “forcing” yourself to sleep is futile as it only makes you more alert.
4.Take a melatonin pill
If you’re still awake between midnight and 1am, take a melatonin (sleep hormone) pill, which you can buy over the counter. Th is increases the amount of sleep hormone in you, helping you fall asleep. Th ese are not sleeping pills, which you should avoid taking, and it’s safe (no side eff ects) to take one pill a day, even for long periods, says Dr Pang. If it’s past 1am, don’t take the pill as you might not be able to wake up in time the next morning. Instead, he advises, just lie down and rest.
Labels: health, reads
#213 : Benefits of Drinking Tea
Saturday, August 3, 2013 @ 11:15 PM
Since ancient times, tea has been a popular choice for its health remedies. From curing headaches to being extremely high in antioxidants, it’s no wonder why doctors recommend a cup a day! Still not taking your daily tea doses? Read on to find out what benefits tea brings and you’ll soon be brewing a pot.
Oral hygiene
Drink a cup of tea and your breath will be fresh! All thanks to the small amount of natural fluoride that is found in tea leaves, which helps to prevent tooth decay by repairing signs of early stages decay and prevent the production of acid by-products responsible for cavities. Pick black tea for this benefit. Filled with a powerful antioxidant known as polyphenol, it can also stop the production of plaque and inhibit the growth of bacteria in the mouth.
Also read: Minimize The Size of Aging
Lose weight
Another benefit of black tea? It helps stop belly fat before it even starts! With its polysaccharide content, black tea inhibits the production of glucose. Meanwhile, green tea contains an antioxidant known as catechins, which stimulate the body to burn calories and decrease body fat.
Not convinced? Perhaps this will: A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that participants who consumed green tea and exercised regularly lost more weight around their abdominal area. Another tea to sip? Oolong tea as it boosts metabolism up to two hours after drinking it. Oolong also contains polyphenols that block fat-building enzymes.
Keep cancer at bay
Again, polyphenols to the rescue! Research shows that polyphenols may be linked to cancer prevention, particularly that of green tea. A study found that men who drank three cups of green tea daily prevented prostate cancer despite the presence of pre-cancerous cells. As vouched by Mitchell Gaynor, MD, Director of Medical Oncology at the Strong Cancer Prevention Center in New York City and co-author of Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program: “Tea is one of the single best cancer fighters you can put in your body.”
Also read: Healthy Eats Around The Metro
Healthy heart
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who drank one to two cups of tea a day had more than a 50 percent reduction rate in the hardening of arteries. Research also shows that tea cuts the risk of stroke by as much as 60 percent! Cholesterol gets a beating from tea as well. Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center revealed that bad cholesterol (LDL) dropped 10 percent among people who drank tea regularly. Not bad for this tiny cup of wonder.
Keeps you beautiful!
If you’re worried about ageing signs creeping up on your skin, chill and have yourself a cup of tea. Because research shows that Oolong tea can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, age spots and other aging signs. Which is why Asian women are always sipping tea: To keep their skin youthful!
Alert and focus
Even the brain benefits from a cup of tea. And yes, all because of polyphenols, particularly in green tea. This can help prevent neurotransmitters involved in brain function from degrading. In fact, if you drink a cup or two a day, you’re giving your brain a boost in memory and focus!Labels: drinks, health, reads
#209 : 5 Food Habits that Age You
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 @ 12:24 PM
If the only edible indiscretions you worry about are those that make you gain weight, you may have your priorities mixed up. It turns out that the worst dietary demons, including many sugary, fatty, refined and highly processed foods, do more than add thunder to your thighs, experts say — they subtract years from your life.
Nutrition, not age, determines the body’s internal chemistry, and that chemistry determines, in large part, the quality and resiliency of virtually every organ, cell and system in the body.
Everything from the condition of your skin to the quality of your bone, brain and connective tissue is determined in part by what you eat. As a result, your eating habits are a major determinant in how quickly you begin to see and feel the effects of
aging.
Of course the occasional cheeseburger isn’t going to turn you into Rip Van Winkle, but when dietary lapses become daily habits, they can erase years from your life — and add years to your appearance. Here’s how to fix some bad habits that may be aging you from the inside out.
Bad Habit No. 1 — A weakness for fast food
Big Offender: Trans fat (a vegetable-oil concoction infused with hydrogen atoms)
How It Ages You: Trans fat is an aging bonanza: The gory details of its negative impacts could fill a book, but let’s start with the most deleterious result — inflammation. Trans
fat is to chronic inflammation what kerosene is to fire.
Inflammation ages you from the inside out by nibbling away at your telomeres, the caps protecting the ends of your chromosomes. Every time a chromosome divides, its telomere shortens. So telomere length is not only a sign of how old you are, but also a measure of how well your body is aging.
Mehmet Oz, MD, a heart surgeon at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City compares telomeres to the tips on the ends of your shoelaces. If they break, the chromosomes fray. That’s bad, he explains, because the shorter the telomere, the less efficient the chromosome. How does that translate in the body? “If your telomeres are short, you lose your ability to regenerate your organs,” he explains.
Trans fat also adds years to your age by muffling chitchat between cells. Cells need pliable walls to talk to one another. The body makes cell walls out of fat — good fat equals healthy walls; bad fat equals patchy walls. Because trans fat is manmade, the molecule has an unnatural shape. ˙ Like forcing a square peg into a round hole, trans fat’s odd dimension gums up the system, says Kevin Spelman, PhD, a research scientist in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“On a very core level, the odd shape begins to change cell-to-cell signaling and membrane fluidity, which has a profound effect on both health and aging.” (For more on the damage wreaked by fast food and for advice on ending fast-food addictions, see “
Break the Fast-Food Habit” in the May 2008 archives.)
The Fix: Steer clear of fast food, ask for ingredient lists at restaurants, and read product labels assiduously at the grocery store. Although many fast-food chains and prepared-food manufacturers are scrambling to nix trans fat from their products, very few have managed a total clear-out. To boot,
trans-fat labeling can be misleading — if the product contains 0.5 grams or less, manufacturers can list it as zero percent. To be certain, scan the ingredients list for “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils, which indicate the presence of trans fat. Besides, trans fat is only one of many problems associated with these foods (read on for more).
Bad Habit No. 2 — Giving in to a serious sweet tooth
Big Offender: Sucrose (the refined, highly processed and crystallized version of plant sugars)
How It Ages You: The human body evolved with a limited ability to break down sugar, and very limited access to it in concentrated forms, so processing the comparatively
giant loads we consume nowadays puts a huge strain on our systems. Excess sugar loiters in the blood and causes trouble by glomming onto protein molecules, an age-accelerating process called glycosylation that causes cellular aging in several ways.
First, it slows down the body’s repair mechanism. Although glycosylation’s effects are mostly internal, aging skin is a prime external sign. When too much sugar in the blood causes glycosylation, the skin loses its natural repair mechanisms, explains Shawn Talbott, PhD, a nutritional biochemist and author of
The Metabolic Method (Currant Book, 2008). “Sugar molecules gum up the collagen in your skin,” he says, “which makes it less elastic, makes it wrinkle faster, and means it won’t heal as quickly if it’s damaged.”
Glycosylation also ages the body by spawning oxidative stress. Sugar molecules cut and irritate everything they touch, like so many shards of glass, says Oz. The damage, called oxidation, eventually leads to a buildup of toxins called AGEs (short for advanced glycation endproducts). The accumulation of some AGEs is natural — AGEs in the blood increase fivefold during a person’s lifetime — but eating poorly is like hitting the fast-forward button on aging.
That’s because, as AGEs build up in the body, they damage the cellular engines: the mitochondria. The loss of cellular energy gives rise to a dizzying array of age-related complaints such as loss of memory, hearing, vision and stamina. Even more troubling are new findings that show AGEs piling up in the arterial plaque of people with heart disease as well as in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Glycation also has a hand in the formation of cataracts.
The Fix: If you can
go cold turkey on processed sugar, great. If not, cut back as far as you can, and for the sweets you must eat, choose foods made with less heavily processed natural sugars, such as honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup or
agave nectar, instead of refined (white) sugar.
“Although natural sugars aren’t much better for your health,” says Talbott, “foods sweetened naturally tend to be less refined and have more whole grains, and that is a benefit for reducing sugar load.” One more tip: Don’t swap your sugar for artificial sweeteners. There’s evidence that they can do as much or more damage to your health in other ways.
Bad Habit No. 3 — Carbo-loading — even when you’re not training
Big Offender: Refined, starchy carbohydrates (healthy carbs stripped of all the good stuff)
How It Ages You: Refined carbs are simply sugars in disguise. “Every starch turns into sugar the minute it hits your bloodstream,” says Lodge. Beyond glycosylation, refined carbs set the stage for insulin resistance.
After a meal laden with
refined carbohydrates, the body’s blood-sugar levels soar, and the pancreas sprays insulin into the bloodstream to help cells convert the food’s energy (glucose) into fuel. But the body often miscalculates and releases too much insulin because (again) evolution hasn’t kept pace with the modern diet. “If you eat four slices of Wonder Bread, that’s the food-density equivalent of one of your ancestors killing and eating an entire elk out on the savanna,” says Lodge. “Your body reacts with a massive surge of chemicals to digest all the stuff it thinks you just ate.”
As a result of too much insulin, blood-sugar levels drop, and 30 minutes later you’re hungry again, he says. “The body wasn’t designed for this yo-yo effect. All it can do is break apart in bits and pieces, which is exactly what happens.” The technical term for this effect is insulin resistance, a precursor to such age-related diseases as type 2
diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
The Fix: Stick to complex carbohydrates, such as legumes, vegetables and 100 percent whole grains. Because the outer layers of the grain are left intact, whole grains take longer for the body to digest, and the sugar is released in a slow, steady stream.
Scrutinize food labels, says Oz: “In general, I tell folks to eat whatever sugar they want as long as the food is nutrient rich. However, if nutrients are limited, try to avoid any food that has more than 4 grams of simple carbohydrates or sugar per serving. Another option is to avoid simple carbs if they are listed in the first five ingredients. Instead, emphasize complex carbohydrates that offer a hefty dose of fiber and nutrients.”
Bad Habit No. 4 — Waiting until you’re really hungry before eating
Big Offender: Ghrelin (a hormone made by the digestive system that gooses appetite)
How It Ages You: Waiting too long between meals is one of the surest ways to age the body before its time, says Oz. That’s because hunger pangs can lead to overeating, which may lead to obesity. Here’s how it works: A growling stomach signals “hunger” in the brain by releasing the hormone ghrelin. The problem is that it takes 30 minutes for ghrelin levels to return to normal once you’ve started to nosh. So odds are you’ll overeat.
The Fix: Don’t wait to eat until you’re ready to chew your arm off; instead, keep a little food in your stomach at all times, advises Oz. Schedule regular
snack or meal breaks into your day, and keep a stash of healthy mini-meals available for when you’re on the go. Eat a balance of healthy proteins, carbs and fats at each meal, choosing whole foods (which digest more gradually) whenever possible.
No one eats perfectly all the time. And, as noted,
occasional digressions aren’t worth stressing over. But each of us stands to benefit from improving the eating patterns that are doing our bodies and minds the most harm. Chip away at these worst-offender habits and your odds of feeling great and aging healthfully climb exponentially.
“Sure, putting changes like these in play may be a little challenging at first,” says Lodge, “but this is no place to sell yourself short: Having a wonderful, long life is worth a little bit of effort.”
Bad Habit No. 5 — Eating at your desk — or in the car, or while stressed in any way.
Big Offender: Cortisol (a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands)
How It Ages You: Stress hormones — automatically released by the body under all kinds of stressful circumstances — are antithetical to
digestion in a couple of ways. First, the release of adrenaline and cortisol — “fight-or-flight” chemicals — diverts blood toward your limbs and away from your stomach and intestines, which hinders your intestines’ ability to break down food and absorb nutrients. As a result, digestion grinds to a halt and food ferments, sending unusual metabolites into the bloodstream, explains Kevin Spelman, PhD, a research scientist in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
Second,
stress throws off the gut’s acidity and, therefore, its ability to absorb certain nutrients, such as vitamin B12. As if that weren’t enough, cortisol also suppresses the body’s repair mechanisms. “By eating when you’re stressed, it’s as if you are damaging your body and locking out the repair crews,” says Henry Lodge, MD, coauthor of the
New York Times bestseller
Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit and Sexy — Until You’re 80 and Beyond (Workman Publishing, 2004). And finally, eating while stressed or distracted is also more likely to lead to unconscious eating, meaning you’ll be vulnerable to eating more than you intended or be prone to eating foods you would never have intended to eat under better circumstances.
The Fix: Slow down at mealtime. Instead of munching behind the wheel or at your desk, find a spot where you can relax and
focus on your food and the pleasure of eating. If possible, eat with others whose company you enjoy, or eat in a place that makes you feel safe and happy. At home, create a relaxing atmosphere; set the table and light a candle, suggests Spelman: “Just as your senses assimilate that environment in a pleasant way, your body will assimilate food in a more efficient way.”
Catherine Guthrie is a Bloomington, Ind.–based writer.
Labels: food, health, reads
#208 : 9 Ways to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
Sunday, May 26, 2013 @ 11:08 PM
There are many great
anti-cancer foods and lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer, but here are some simple ones you can incorporate into your life right away:
1. Increase the fiber in your diet.
High fiber diets have been shown to decrease breast cancer risk by up to 54 percent. That could be because fiber binds to harmful substances in the intestines and escorts them out of the body. Increasing fiber in your diet is easy: sprinkle
flax seeds on your toast or cereal, choose whole grains over refined, add
beans to soups and stews, and snack on almonds through the day.
Research by Jane Teas, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health shows that rats fed kelp had less breast cancer than rats who were not fed kelp. Kelp and other forms of
seaweed are full of nutrients, reduce radioactive waste in our bodies, and strengthen the glands.
3. Eat more cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage.
They contain sulfur compounds called indoles, which help eliminate excess estrogen from the body and prevent it from triggering the growth of breast cancer. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is particularly powerful at inhibiting cancer cell development in the breasts. Cruciferous vegetables convert cancer-promoting forms of estrogen to protective forms according to Dr. Gaynor, author of Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program One particular indole, indole-3-carbinol (13C), inhibits the development of potentially cancerous cells in the breast.
4. Reduce animal fat in your diet.
In a British study, researchers found a high consumption of animal fat was linked to more cases of breast or colorectal cancer, while fish oil was linked to fewer cases. Additionally, excess amounts of animal fat in the diet causes the production of chemicals in the intestine that bacteria can convert to carcinogenic estrogens.
5. Eat more Omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3s been shown in many studies to inhibit the effects of inflammatory substances called prostaglandins. These substances not only depress the immune system, they weaken its ability to identify tumors. Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seeds, flax oil, raw walnuts, and fish, reduce prostaglandins and
inflammation, reducing the breast cancer risk. In a study in Finland, breast cancer victims were found to have lower levels of two types of omega 3 fatty acids in their breast tissue than women without the disease.
6. Choose organic produce as much as possible.
Many pesticides have been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer. They also have an affinity for fatty deposits in the body, including the breasts.
7. Be sure you’re getting adequate amounts of the mineral selenium in your multivitamin.
Research by Larry Clark, PhD., M.P.H, at the University of Arizona found that supplementing with selenium could cut cancer rates in half. Earlier research supports his conclusion that the higher the selenium levels, the lower the breast cancer rate. Be sure to choose selenium in its organic form, selenomethionine.
8. Supplement with alpha lipoic acid.
This miracle nutrient and antioxidant not only kills harmful free radicals that can lead to the formation of cancer cells, extensive research by Lester Packer, PhD shows that it recycles other antioxidants like vitamins C and E to maximize their free radical scavenging ability. Research by Richard Passwater, PhD, found that alpha lipoic acid may prevent the activation of the gene that triggers cellular cancer growth.
Green tea contain cancer-fighting substances called epigallo catechin gallate (ECGC). These substances protect against cancer by reducing free radicals. In one study drinking high amounts of green tea significantly lowered cancer risk.
Labels: food, health, reads
#207 : 9 Fresh and Healthy Uses for Lemons
Monday, May 13, 2013 @ 5:44 PM
- Place 1 sliced lemon with 1 tbsp black tea leaves, a cinnamon stick and steep in hot water for a minute or two. Add honey, and enjoy your cup of comfort.
- Slice up a lemon or two and place in an ice tray. Pour water over them and freeze. You have lovely lemony ice-cubes for your next cup of tea or glass of punch!
- Squeeze lemon juice into extra virgin olive oil. Add some crushed garlic, black pepper, coarse salt and some finely chopped fresh herbs. A great salad dressing!
- Spike your Dijon mustard with some lemon juice to take the flavor up several notches, while adding a Vitamin C boost.
- Low-fat but luscious lemon-cream dressing for your salads or baked potatoes: simply whisk lemon juice into low-fat hung yogurt, and season to taste. Serve the potatoes hot or warm.
- Boil split yellow lentils with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Squeeze lemon juice into the hot lentil soup and enjoy hot. An excellent remedy for the flu!
- Pasta tossed with garlic, lemon, fruity olive oil and fresh basil. Divine! You could also drizzle this dressing on hot pizza for an exciting effect.
- Squeeze some lemon juice on freshly boiled rice. The grains will become wonderfully fluffy and fragrant.
- Halve a lemon and sprinkle coarse salt on it. Rub on elbows and knees to scrub away dead cells and leave skin radiant. This can also be used to rub the grease off grimy pans and cooking surfaces.
So there you have it, 9 uses for lemons! Go try one NOW!
Labels: food, health, reads
#206 : 15 Easy Ways To Detoxify Your Body
Sunday, May 5, 2013 @ 11:21 PM
Every now and then I read or hear someone say that the body doesn’t need to detoxify. This is an appalling statement since the body cannot live without effective and efficient detoxification, which needs to occur in the lungs, liver, skin, intestines, kidneys,
lymphatic system, and other areas of the body every minute of every day.
Our bodies are surprisingly good at detoxification but these processes can easily become overwhelmed due to the volume of toxins to which we’re exposed from our air, water, food, pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs, and many other sources.
These detoxification processes also rely on many critical nutrients (you’ll discover which ones below) to function properly. Fortunately, there are many easy things you can do to help your body eliminate harmful toxins. Here are 15 easy ways to detoxify today based on my book,
The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan:
1. Eat pectin-rich organic apples. Pectin binds to toxins in the intestines to escort them out of the body.
2. Drink a freshly-made veggie juice daily. This can be as easy as throwing a couple of handfuls of leafy greens into a blender with some frozen berries and water.
3. Drink a large glass of purified water with the juice of one fresh lemon in the morning. Lemons have over 20 proven anti-cancer compounds.
4.
Eat blueberries daily. They are rich in anthocyanins that reduce inflammation in the body and brain, as well as help reduce allergies and excess weight.
5. Remember to breathe. Oxygen kills bacteria, viruses, and helps us to feel more energized. Breathe deeply as much as possible.
6. Eat at least a half cup of legumes daily. If they cause you gas, build up slowly and add a digestive enzyme with cellulase (breaks down the fiber in beans). Fiber in beans helps keep the bowels eliminating properly.
7. Find the positive in every day. Smile and laugh. A positive attitude reduces the number of stress chemicals in the body. And, as the adage says, “laughter is the best medicine.”
Discover one of the most powerful liver healers that stops fat-storage in the liver…
8. Take turmeric daily (a teaspoon in a small glass of water), added to soups or stews, or in capsule form. It contains the phytonutrient curcumin that is one of the most powerful liver protectors and healers. The liver is largely responsible for detoxification.
9. Eat more raw fruits and vegetables. They contain enzymes that aid digestion and improve nutrient absorption. Many nutrients are needed for efficient detoxification, including: beta carotene, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B12, pyridoxine, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, copper, germanium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulphur, and zinc, among others.
10. Switch from chemical
cleaning products to natural ones. Chemical cleaning products contain toxins like formaldehyde, chlorine, petroleum products, ammonia, perchloroethylene (“perc”), and many other harmful chemicals that research links to cancer, skin conditions, asthma, and other serious health conditions. Baking soda, vinegar, or orange oil work well. No chemical cleaner removes stains as well as orange oil.
11. Eat at least three of the best detoxifying foods daily: broccoli, garlic, spinach, cabbage, sprouts, blueberries, and ginger.
12. Drink plenty of pure water to help flush toxins from your body. Almost every process in your body depends on proper hydration to function smoothly.
13. Help remove toxins in your intestines by using aloe vera juice (about a quarter cup) or drinking a few cups of slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, or rhubarb root tea (about one teaspoon of the dried herb per cup of water).
14. Take a probiotic supplement with live cultures on an empty stomach daily (morning or evening works well). The beneficial bacteria kill harmful bacteria and yeasts and help to heal the lining of the intestines.
15. Get at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity daily. Sweating is one of the best ways of removing harmful toxins, including heavy metals, from the body.
Labels: health, reads
#203 : Long awaited post - How Ginger Can Help You Keep Your Fitness Resolutions?
Saturday, March 9, 2013 @ 12:41 PM
Now that the hype of New Year’s
resolutions has faded, the real work begins. Avoid injury and burnout by keeping your muscles rested and recovered. Keep your metabolism working at its full potential
naturally, and your body
healthy and fit well into the new year.
Ginger
(Zingiber officinale) has long been used in
Ayurveda to stoke the digestive system. Due to its yang properties of warming and stimulating, it’s thought to enhance the fire in the body. Everything from the digestive system to blood circulation to
energizing the body internally.
Ginger for Sore Muscles:
If you don’t have time for a long Epsom salt bath to soothe your muscles and mind, consider a hot cup of ginger tea after dinner or a refreshing ginger lemonade after your daily workout.
In two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, subjects were tested for muscle pain after exercising and taking 2 grams of ginger versus a placebo. The study concluded that daily supplementation with ginger
reduced muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise.
Another study asked subjects to participate in exercises meant to cause muscle inflammation and pain, with one group taking ginger as a supplement and the other group a placebo. They found that muscle pain and soreness was reduced the day after in some participants taking the ginger, suggesting
ginger may reduce the day-to-day progression of muscle pain.
These results are not surprising, considering ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory substances:
Gingerols. Gingerols are the pungent compound present in ginger that give it many of its incredible health benefits, proving it effective in treating arthritis, nausea, and a
multitude of digestive disorders.
Ginger for Metabolism:
Introducing ginger to the body can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract. It can reduce feelings of hunger and
enhance thermogenesis, or increase metabolism; all pluses when trying to lose or manage weight.
During winter, hot tea is a great way to introduce the benefits of ginger into your diet and system. To cool off after a hot workout, this Fresh Mint Organic Ginger Lemonade is a nice alternative:
Fresh Mint-Organic Ginger Lemonade
INGREDIENTS:
Mint leaves
1 shot cumquat or Bush lemon juice
1 shot of Agave sweetener
1 tsp. Wakaya Perfection Organic Ginger Powder
2 shots of water Ice
Pour all ingredients into shaker. Shake, and then pour into serving glass. Float lemon and serve.
Topical Treatment for Sore Muscles:
A paste or creme created from softened ginger root or ginger powder can be
applied directly to sore muscles. Mix the powder or crushed ginger with a few drops of camphor oil and a little water and then apply directly to the skin. Let it sit until it starts to dry and then wipe it off.
Caring for the body naturally will keep it in balance, strong, and enable you to reach your fitness resolutions in a healthy way.
Have another favorite use or recipe for ginger? Let us know in the comments below!
Labels: health, reads
#197 : 5 strange fitness tips that work
Saturday, February 16, 2013 @ 12:53 AM
Ever thought about adding ice to your water bottle? If you haven’t and you want to improve the amount of time you can exercise for, it might be worth giving a go. A study conducted by a researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine found that obese female participants held a hand-cooling device they were able to exercise for longer, compared to other obese women who did not hold onto a hand-cooling device.
It has been suggested that those women who held onto the hand-cooling device were able to stick at their workouts for longer because the speed that their internal temperature raised was reduced. This meant that the women did not store as much heat and were therefore more comfortable.
Ditch your shoes
One strange fitness tip that is thought to work is to ditch your shoes and go barefoot. Going barefoot has been a hotly debated topic since the publication of a running book called Born to Run back in 2009. Since then, many people have begun to think that exercising without your shoes on is beneficial to both your training and your health; especially for injury prone runners. Yet the research is limited and the debate ongoing.
Those that support barefoot training, such as the group called Barefoot in Toronto, claim that going barefoot gives you better circulation, stronger bones and can even improve poor posture. Another study that lends support to the benefits of barefoot training found that running barefoot led to a decrease in energy expenditure by four per cent. This suggests that running barefoot could help improve the amount of time you spend running and possibly your race time.
Drink coffee or take caffeine supplements
If you’re a coffee fan this fitness tip is for you. Research has found that caffeine taken before a training session can help to burn more fat during your workout. Incredibly caffeine can also decrease the amount of pain you feel in your muscles when training. This is great news for those who want to work out for longer or for those who want to do more reps.
The study behind this theory comes from the University of Nebraska, which found that those participants who took a caffeine supplement pre-workout increased the maximum weight they could bench press by five pounds.
Get vocal
Getting vocal could be very beneficial to your workouts. A fitness program called IntenSati asks its participants to shout out encouraging phrases when exercising, such as ‘I can do this’ and ‘I am strong’. Whilst saying these positive affirmations, class members perform a variety of exercises including yoga postures, dance moves, martial arts and interval training.
The theory behind IntenSati is that by shouting out these mantras people alter their mental attitude towards their training, which in turn makes them feel positive about their abilities. As well as receiving a boost in motivation, shouting out these phrases is thought to distract class members from the pain or tiredness they might be feeling during their workout.
Drink chocolate milk
Although not the healthiest of drinks, chocolate milk is thought to help you recover after a workout. A study conducted by Indiana University found that those athletes who drank chocolate milk did not become as fatigued in their second intense workout, compared to those athletes that drank a sports drink. Similarly, researchers at the University of Texas found that those participants who drank chocolate milk had improved race times compared to those participants who were given a sports drink.
It is thought that chocolate milk has such a positive effect on athlete’s recovery because it is full of protein, calcium and antioxidants (the antioxidants are the result of the chocolate). If you want to make this drink healthier you could always swap the cow’s milk for soy or goat’s milk and add dark chocolate, which contains more antioxidants than regular chocolate.
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